The 8 day trek more commonly referred to as ‘the circuit’ takes you through some of Patagonia’s most magnificent sights in Torres Del Paine National Park. We seriously lucked out with the weather… after hearing horror story after horror story of unbearable rain, snow and hail – not to mention 60 knot gusts of wind – we didn’t get a single drop of rain and had only one slightly windy pass.

Also, since we headed out right at the beginning of ‘winter’ (the guide books tell you not to trek past March. This is most definitely a lie.) we didn’t see a single person for two and a half days in one of the most widely visited and hiked national parks in the world. Pretty epic.

The trek is pretty much split up into two parts: the ‘W’ and the ‘backside’ – with the W being more easily accessible and on a more well trodden path, and the backside a little harder/longer/tougher to get through. The landscapes were vastly different on the two parts, so I’m splitting the post into two. Today: the backside.

First view off the bus on day one.

Hike up to the ‘towers’ our second day – probably the most famous formation in the park. (The towers glow this gorgeous red color at sunrise – like this – but this meant you had to get up and hike an hour uphill before the sun came up. Aaaannnd we overslept. Oops.)

Lonely campers.

The third day in the landscapes started to change from vast, open fields to rocky mountains, lakes and lots of ice.

First view of one of the (many) glaciers in the park.

Day five took us over the infamous John Gardner Pass and onto the ‘W’, where we were met by nice refugios (campgrounds with lodges), loads of backpackers, and a lot of glacier…